ASHEVILLE — The entire 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway and all of its facilities, visitor centers and campgrounds, except for the Pisgah Inn, closed as of 8 p.m. Friday in anticipation of high winds and heavy rains due to the remnants of Hurricane Florence, according to the National Park Service.

The U.S. Forest Service has already closed all of its recreation sites and campgrounds and most roads on the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests, and portions of the Appalachian Trail that run through these areas are closed.

All seasonal gates will be closed, to ensure no one has the opportunity to get trapped behind gates.

During the closure order, these sections of parkway are closed to all use, including bicycling and hiking. Attempts to route around gates and barriers are prohibited.

The parkway is the most visited site in the National Park Service, with 16.1 million visitors last year. Traffic starts to pick up at this time of year as fall leaves start to turn color, especially at the higher elevations surrounding Asheville.

"We’re going to see what the storm brings through the weekend and first of week and make decisions to reopen in the interest of the public and staff safety as well as parkway resources," Brandon said.

A view of the Blue Ridge Parkway from Waterrock Knob. The public is invited to an open house on planning for the future of the new recreation area.(Photo11: Courtesy of Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation)

Great Smokies to close many facilities Saturday

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials will close facilities due to the potential for hazardous conditions due to downed trees, flooding, and landslides as the rain and winds from Hurricane Frances hit the park on the North Carolina-Tennessee border.

If the storm continues on its current track, additional closures may go into effect on Sept. 16.

Clingmans Dome Observation Tower in Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be closed for repairs June 44-15.(Photo11: Courtesy Kristina Plaas)

Scheduled closures will make most park trailheads inaccessible. Overnight backcountry use is not recommended Saturday through Monday due to the potential threat of downed trees and flooded stream crossings causing rivers and trails to become hazardous. All backcountry reservation holders are encouraged to change their itinerary or cancel their permit and receive a refund. Refunds will be available.

Forest Service campgrounds, roads closed

On Thursday, the U.S. Forest Service closes down all campgrounds and recreation sites, for day use or overnight, in the Nantahala and the Pisgah National Forests.

This includes all 37 campgrounds, including the Lake Santeetlah, Rattler Ford, Standing Indian and Tsali campgrounds in the Nantahala National Forest, and popular sites in the Pisgah National Forest including Lake Powhatan, Black Mountain, Carolina Hemlocks, Davidson River and North Mills River.

The closures include the temporary suspension of creating reservations on Recreation.gov. Cancelled reservations during this time frame will be refunded by the reservation service.

The Forest Service also closed gates on roads listed below to protect public safety.

"We strongly request that, due to expected wind and rainfall, the public not use trails or general forest areas," a Forest Service news release states. "Emergency response times will be longer than usual if an incident or medical emergency were to occur."

The health, safety, and well-being of the public and visitors to our National Forests is of our number one priority. Roads will be evaluated for health and safety and reopened as conditions allow following the storm passage.